Telephone-signal



(NoModel.)

F. C. WATKINS.

TELEPHONE SIGNAL.

No. 357,052.v Patentedk Peb. 1, 1887.

y/fvw( UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

FRANK c. wA'rKINs, or PHILADELPHIA,

PENNsrLvANIA, AssIGNo'E, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO THE UNITED STATES KRO'IOPHONE COMPANY7 F NEI/V YORK, N. Y;

'TF.I EPHONE-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATIOQrming part of Letters Patent No. 357,052, dated February 1` 1887. pplieaton tiled April 28, 1886. Serial No. 200,455. (No model To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I,

FRANK (l. WATKINs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county 5 State of Pennsylvania,

new and useful Improvements in Signals; and

tion, such as will enable Qthers skilled in the same, reference being drawings, and to the this specification.

I 5 My invention'is an continued.

out in the claims.

In the drawings, View of mydevice.

cal section. Fig. 3 is and 5 are detail views, of the Referring to the drawings,

any suitable size and end of the base 3o front of this magnet I which I pivot the armatures D. The arma` forward past thestandards C, and are provided with beveled lugs E F, formtures D extend ing an integral part the same,I form the lu base, and in the drawings I have shown it as its back with two horizontal being provided on ribs or iianges, K K, secured to the base an secured in said ribs.

Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of' the inven- Vindicator intended to be "used in connection with telephone systems to automatically show when a particular instrument is in use and when its use has been dis- It consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed Figure lis a perspective Fig. 2 is a central verti- I mount,a magnet, B, and in from the opposite sides of the same. lugs hold the signal-cards in position, be hereinafter fully explained.

Upon the base, at and the proper distance apart and the front and middle signal-cards are pivotally secured as will be understood from the draw- Three signalcards,

of Philadelphia and have invented certain Telephonea lan view, and Figs. 4 signal-cards. A is the base, of

construction. At one erect standards O, upon thereof and projecting These as will near the front end of gs' G. These lugs G are I J K, are used. rigidly secured to the the lower flange being d the standards C being It will be understood that this construction could be readily varied, as the standards could be secured'in the base and the upper flange could be dispensed with.

The middle and front signal-cards are provided with trunnions Lat their lower corners, means of which they are pivotally secured to the lugs G. The middle card is provided with .hooks M on its edge, which engage the lugs E, as shown. The front signal-card is held by the lugs F engaging its edges.

The operation of my device will be readily understood. Vhen the subscriber or other person desiring to use the telephone calls, the magnet B is` energized and the armatures D are attracted thereby, as will be' understood. The armatures being attracted,their back ends swing toward the magnet and their forward ends swing outward, disengaging the lugs F from the signal-card I, which will fall forward, of its own weight, being secured to the trunnions L in advance of their pivotal points, as will be understood 0n reference to Figs. l and 2. When the front ends ofthe armatures swing outward, the lugs E are made to engage the hooks M. When the person using the telephone has finished his conversation, the current is broken and instantly the back ends of the armatures, under the influence of spring O, swing outward, carrying the front ends inward, when the signalcard J will be released and fall forward, passing the lug F,and the device will now be in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. All the cards'bear the number of the telephone to which the device is connected, and in addition the middle card bears the words In use, and the back one the letters 0. K, Thus, when the instrument is in use and the front signal-card has fallen, as hereinbefore explained, the middle one will be exposed, displaying the words In use.7 When the middle card has fallen, the rear one will be exposed, and the attendant, seeing the letters 0. K.77 displayed, willknow that the instrument is not being used, and will return the fallen cards to their normal position by hand. I

O is a spring arranged to bear on the armature and hold it in its normal position and prevent its sticking to the magnet.

Althoughl have shown and prefer to use two armatures, the desired results could be accomplished by using one.

To aid the attendant in returning the signalcards to their normal position, I provide the card I' with a pin, I', on its back; As the eard I is swung back by the hand, the pin contacts with the card Jand pushes it into position, as will be understood on reference to the dotted` lines in Fig. 2.

- Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLettcrs Patent, 1s

l. 'lhe combination, with a magnet, of two or more iinlicator-drops provided with means whereby one will be released when the magnet is energized and another when the current is broken, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a suitable support, the magnet, the standards erected upon the support in front of the magnet, the signaleards, one rigidly and the others pivolally se` cured to the support, and the armatures pivoted upon the standards and engaging the pivoted signal-Cards, substantially as described and shown.

3, The herein shown and described indicator for telephone systems, comprising a base, a magnet mounted at one end ofthe base, standards erected upon the base in front of the inagnet, the armature pivoted in front of' the magnet, a spring arranged to bear upon the armature and normally hold it awayfrom the niagnet, and a series oi'signaleeards, one rigidly and the others pivotally secured to the base, the pivoted cards being engaged by the armature, and the front card having a pin secured to its back, which contacts with the face of the next card, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK C. VATKINS. IVitnessos:

- H. J. ENNIs,

R. W. BISHOP. 

